I learned that too many folds has the effect of making such small
details that they tend to get lost. At some point the colors
are essentially blended and you have created a new color.

So as the number of folds increases, the level of detail increases.
This is great! One has control over how much detail to put into
a "component".

I enjoy contrast. Here are some dimensions within which
I look for and create contrast:

hue

light/dark

dayglow/plain

nightglow/plain

degree of detail

inexperienced clay (e.g. a solid color)

low level of experience (e.g. two colors folded together once)

medium level of experience (e.g. two or three folds)

highly experienced clay (e.g. four or more folds)

distribution of detail
One level of detail is the substrate of the piece -- the
background against which the foreground contrast pieces
will be juxtaposed. The other levels of detail just need
to be different so they stand out. The substrate could
be fairly inexperienced or very inexperienced, as long
as the foreground detail is significantly different.

lots of little bits. Imagine a few white pebbles
thrown on a dark asphalt road.

a small number of large clumps. Imagine the
cross-section of an avocado, a loquat, or a
walnut.